Photo Credit:
MARK M LUCAS
From the moment I saw my first Emerald I knew I had to have one. The way they coil up on their perch gives them a commanding appearance.
Keeping emeralds is not an exact science yet, and many different keepers and breeders have used varying methods with success.
Within these guide lines there seem to be a few “set” limits in which seem to be the accepted range.
Taking care of emeralds in more demanding than almost any other species of snake but when the proper steps are taken they can flourish in captivity.
There are five main points that are crucial to your snake’s health:
Temperature, Humidity, Lighting, Feeding, and Caging.
Each one of these sections will be broken down for neodites, sub-adults, and adults.
Before thinking of purchasing your first emerald understand every aspect of their care and have their cage set up at least a week in advance before acquiring the animal to work out any kinks that may arise.
This period should be even longer if any sort of glue etc. is used to attach perch holders and such so that the vapors have adequate time to dissipate.
Automating the systems would be a good idea, as there will always be a point where you cannot be there 100% of the time.
First let’s go over the temperature requirements. A neodite should be kept at 82F on the warm side of the tank and 79F on the cool side for the first year.
Do not do a night drop for the year! As sub-adults 82F on the warm side and 78F on the cool side with a nighttime low of around 73-75F.
Temperatures any higher than this can lead to regurgitation because the food will decay faster than they can digest it. I believe a digital thermostat is a MUST in keeping emeralds. There are too many factors that can change the room temp. and raise and lower your cage temp. as a result. I like using Radiant heat panels or ceramic heat emitters over incandescent bulbs. These are more efficient, do not change the intensity of the light because of fluctuating temperatures, and do not disturb sleeping cycles. Remember if it goes above 78F in the summertime where you live you must have air-conditioning.
Proper humidity is a must for keeping healthy emeralds. Depending on the type of tank you have and the relative humidity of the room this can be the most difficult requirement for the keeper.
Before the animal comes you will have to work out the exact amounts of water you will need to use for your setup. During the night hours the humidity should be between 87-95% dropping down around the 60% mark at night.
An automatic misting system is the best way to go. Keeping the animal over water with a heat pad under the tank is another good way to raise the tanks humidity. When using a heat pad remember to use a rheostat with it to prevent any burns to your animal.
High humidity does not mean not to have proper ventilation… they need air moving through the tank!
The lighting requirements are very easy.
They encounter 12 hours of light and 12 hours of dark everyday all year round. This holds true for any age emerald. I find fluorescent lighting hooked up to a timer the best method. It does not change the cage temps. and is useful in keeping live plants in your tank (this will be touched upon later).
Proper feeding is also very important.
When purchasing your Emerald I would suggest letting the breeder “establish” it first. This way you do not have to go through the pain of getting it to eat.
Start with hoppers or large crawlers. Pinkies rarely get them to strike because they give off less heat than the previous. They grow very slowly, DO not try and rush nature. Size will come in due time
.
Food items should be no bigger than the widest part of their bodies.
A good feeding pattern is anywhere between 10 - 14 days. They should defecate every three meals or something is wrong. If they regurgitate any meals wait a minimum of 10 - 14 days until another food item is offered, and make sure it is smaller than the previous item.
Do not go nuts; they can go well over a 2 months without much weight loss. Also make sure to watch your tank temps more carefully.
Usually when the tank gets warmer than it should the food will digest too fast in their stomachs creating excess gas that will result in regurgitation.
Make sure to always feed them in the evening with the lights out, the heating pad off, and the thermostat turned off. Keep the room temp at around 75oF and the tank should NOT be wet.
With the lower temps and cold water sitting around you can run the risk of your snake getting a respiratory infection which is never good.
In the event that you are having some problems getting your baby to eat there are a few tricks left up our sleeve.
For starters make sure the room is dark, if this is a problem cover the tank with a blanket (remember the thermostat should be off).
You can also try putting a fuzzy in a deli cup positioned under where your snake is perched. Sometimes a light (I stress light) warm misting right before a feeding can also get them going. Try putting them in a smaller Tupperware at night with the food item. I had an acrylic tank with a clear bottom, and a friend suggested putting black paper under the tank to make a better target out of a white mouse for my female. Sure enough, the next day she had snapped up the hopper. When switching to thawed use tongs to dangle the food item in front of them, if they do not take it try running it over the top of their heads to aggravate them.
Usually they will strike at it out of instinct. Stop if they seem to be getting to stressed or trying to hide. Dwarf hamsters are like candy to Emeralds, so when all the above methods fail get a appropriately sized one and try again. Sometimes the color of the food item will make a difference.
Keep trying, after about 2 nights if they have still not taken the food give them 4 days off and try again. As a last resort for juveniles you can “assist feed” them. This should be after a little less than 2 months with out eating. Gently open the mouth by applying pressure behind the jaw and put the fresh killed pinkies head in its mouth. Hold it there until they begin to swallow. Do not force feed them, just hold it in and to not let them back it out. After two sessions allow your snake to try and take a food item on it’s own.
Just keep trying new things and make sure your light, humidity, and heating are all within the proper limits.
The sooner you get your emerald crossed over to f/t the better. Rats are also a lot healthier than mice, which is another thing to consider. When presenting f/t food make sure it is thoroughly thawed, almost hot to the touch.
This will ensure the snake can sense it. I would suggest getting a good pair of tongs to hold the pray, they have some serious teeth if they miss and hit your finger.
If a newborn or younger snake is proving to be a stubborn feeder wait at least a month and a half before attempting to “assist” feed. Do not worry, they have very slow metabolisms and should be fine. “Assist” feeding can be performed by taking a pinky and placing it in the snakes mouth by taking your fingers and opening the jaw by placing pressure on the back of the mouth on the sides of the jaw. Then hold it there, do not let the snake spit it out; eventually it will take it down.
Be prepared to sit there awhile, so have a good chunk of time free for a while.
There is no need to force feed, assist feed and wait 14 days and see if it will take food on it’s own before attempting to help it eat again.
As mentioned before emeralds have a very slow metabolism and hence grow very slow as well. A 12x12x16” tank is good for the fist year.
During the first four months or so leave a few perches 3-4” above the ground so that the animal can avoid a hopper but still sense the heat off of it.
After this time or when it starts taking f/t you can introduce another perch.
For a newborn a half inch dia. perch will do fine.
For the next year a 20x20x20” tank is ideal.
Once they are eating f/t you do not have to worry about them not seeing food items at the bottom of the tank, so you can increase the tank size without worrying as much. After two years you can make their enclosures as large as you can afford to do.
An adult should be housed in nothing less than a 36x24x24” cage.
An adult will average 5-6’ but are much thinner bodied than that of other species.
Exercise is an important factor in your animal’s health; make sure they get plenty of it. Regular exercise will aid in digestion and keeping regular bowel movements. Emeralds become stressed easily, so try not to handle them too often. They are beautiful animals to observe but are not so much a “pet” to handle like redtails etc.
The cage placement should be in an area that is not subjected to drastic temp. changes such as near a window or heating/air-conditioning vent.
Make sure it is not a high traffic area as well because it could also stress the animal.
Ventilation is key in an emeralds tank. They need high humidity but cannot be left in stagnant air. Live plants such as Pothos will aid in keeping the air quality in the tank better. As with any high humidity environment wood tends to not fair vary well. It will warp and rot over time. Keeping this in mind a plastic or glass tank will be a much better choice and will be easier to disinfect during regular cleanings.
Substrates used in the tank can vary as well.
Cypress mulch holds in humidity very well but as with other loose substrates it can become impacted. Generally I would shy away from it if possible.
The next method is using wet paper towels. This is much safer and is easier to clean as well as see when the animal has defecated.
The third most common substrate is water.
This last method helps hold up the humidity, poses no threat of impaction, and is easy to see excrement in. The down side is when keeping a juvenile that will not take f/t yet you cannot leave the hopper in the bottom of the tank without first draining it, especially since the heating equipment will be turned off leaving a cold, damp tank. Many keepers will use any of these different methods with success, use what works best for you depending on your tank setup.
One more tidbit of information I will through into this section is plants.
Granted emeralds love high humidity and need it, but this does not mean they do well in muggy conditions. They are used to “fresh” air continually rising through the canopy and need some sort of cover (don’t bother with hide boxes, they will never use them) over their perches. Silk plants work better than plastic ones for holding in moisture, and can provide a more natural environment. However, by using live pothos etc. you can also help keep the air in the tank fresher.
Before introducing any live plant to the tank wash off all of the old soil and replant it in organic soil that has not had pesticides used in it. Leave the plant out for a week just to make sure not insects are present. Keep in mind you will need a pot without a drainage hole in it if you are planning on placing it on the floor of a cage with water substrate. The best positioning of the plant would be near the top of the tank so it can grow down and provide cover for your emerald.
On a side note your Emerald should be coiled while sleeping. If they are not it is a sign that they are un-comfortable and you should start trying to figure out what the root of the problem is.
As with any snake during a shed they will become more irritable than normal and will not feed. Just give them time to come out of their shed and try again a day later.
Breeding can be very tricky with these guys. Again keeping emeralds is not an exact science yet, many different keepers and breeders use different methods with varying success. First off do not even attempt to breed a female that is younger than 5 years old, 6 is considered the rule of thumb for a female.
Males can be breed earlier… I have heard of them being as young as 3 years old, with 4-5 being the generally accepted age. Sometimes two males are kept to one female in a single enclosure with no problems, other times the two males can end up fighting to the death. Another way is to introduce one male at a time and switch them off, putting only one male in with the female at a time. You may have noticed that in each case two males are always used, this seems to always bring about better results as too only using one male.
Light and humidity requirements remain the same as before, but the temperature can be dropped lower than usually.
Continue to have a daytime high of around 79-82 F with a nighttime low in the mid to upper 60’s.
That’s about all I can pick from my brain at the moment, but if you follow the rules carefully you should have no problems taking care of your Emerald. As a rule the Amazon Basin’s tend to be more friendly than the Surinam, but they both pack some HUGE teeth.
Good luck,
Michael Lawn
“aka NYCSpeedcore”
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